LIGNET: Ahmadinejad Loses Support After Elections

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivers his speech in June 2011 in front of a huge portrait of his now-political rival Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iran’s parliamentary elections last week strengthened the hand of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and weakened President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was already being blamed for the struggling economy and for Iran ’s increased isolation from the rest of the world. The results of the election won’t allay concerns about the threat posed by Iran, but they do indicate that something has changed. Ahmadinejad, who is constitutionally barred from seeking another term in office, is no longer the face, or the chief spokesman, for the Islamic Republic.